Heavy Metal Runoff in Relation to Soil Characteristics

Cu, Zn, Pb and Hg runoff from yellow limestone soil and purple soils and the relationships between the mobility of the heavy metals and the soil characteristics were studied in laboratory using a rainfall simulator. The results showed that the concentrations of soluble Zn in surface runoff were significantly negatively correlated with the contents of <0.002 mm particles and CEC of the soils, indicating that Zn was mostly adsorbed by clays in the soils. The contents of Cu and Hg in surface runoff were positively related to their contents in the soils. The amounts of Cu, Zn, Pb and Hg removed by surface runoff were influenced by the amounts of soil and water losses and their contents in the soils, and were closely related to the contents of soil particles 1-0.02 mm in size.

Soil Characteristics Influence the Selection of Dominant Plant Genotypes Inhabiting Wadi Sudr, Egypt

Rangeland plant community and species composition are known to be related to specific soil properties. The current study investigated the ecological influence (soil characteristics) on the selection and distribution of ecological-related genotypes of dominant xerophyte species in WadiSudr of Egypt. AFLP analysis reflected the genetic profile of the samples species from two altitudinal ranges (up and midstream) and was compared statistically with the differences of their inhabiting soil characteristics on two depth levels (20 and 40 cm) using Mantel test. Correlation values (r) ranged from 0.585 - 0.778 when treating the physical and chemical properties of soil samples regardless its altitudinal area. The correlation confirms that the soil chemical and physical properties influence the selection of a certain genotypes of the dominant xerophytes plants collected from Wadi Sudr of Egypt to certain altitude, while depths at 20 and 40 cm play a key role in the early growth and then the colonization of the selected genotypes, respectively. More studies are needed to exactly test the role and the importance of each of the correlated property to the plant growth and colonization.

Changes in Physical and Chemical Soil Characteristics as a Result of Subsurface Tile Drainage

This project defined changes in soil properties after construction of subsurface tile drainage. We compared the physical and chemical properties of soil samples taken before construction of drainage and new soil samples taken from identical sites at present. The research was made for Stagnic Cambisols (Dystric) and Haplic Stagnosols. The pH value and saturation of the topsoil sorption complex of both soil types statistically increased and simultaneously the cation exchange capacity (CEC) decreased. In the topsoil of Stagnosols, the effective cation exchange capacity and porosity also decreased, and at the same time the particle density and bulk density increased. Soil organic matter and minimum air capacity increased in the topsoil of Cambisols. Porosity and minimum air capacity increased in both soils in the subsoil. In the Cambisol subsoil, the CEC and bulk density decreased. We can assume that after drainage Stagnosols are susceptible to soil compaction, especially in topsoil.

Characteristics of In-Situ Soil Water Hysteresis Observed through Multiple-Years Monitoring

A soil water retention curve (SWRC) is an essential soil physical property for analyzing transport and retention of water in a soil layer. A SWRC is often described as a single-valued function that relates the soil water potential ψ to volumetric water content θ of the soil. However, an in-situ ψ − θ relation should show soil water hysteresis, though this fact is often neglected in analyses of field soil water regimes while long-term in-situ soil water hysteresis is not well characterized. This study aimed at probing and characterizing in-situ ψ − θ relations. The developments of large hysteresis in the in-situ ψ − θ relations were observed only a few times during the study period of 82 months. Any of the large hysteretic behaviors in the ψ − θ relations began with an unusually strong continual reduction in ψ. The completion of a hysteresis loop required a recorded maximum rainfall. Because the study field had very small chances to meet such strong rainfall events, it took multiple years to restore the fraction of soil water depleted by the unusually strong continual reduction in ψ. While wetting-drying cycles had occurred within a certain domain of ψ, hysteretic behaviors tended to be so small that the in-situ ψ − θ relation can be approximated as a single-valued function of θ(ψ). These observed patterns of the in-situ ψ − θ relations were characterized by kinds of difference in dθ/dψ between a drying process and a wetting process at a given ψ. Thus, more amounts of experimental facts about wetting SWRCs in parallel with drying SWRCs should be needed for correct modelling, analyzing, and predicting soil water regimes in fields. It is also necessary to increase our understandings about the long-term trends of occurrences of extreme weather conditions associated with possible change in climate.

A dynamic soil freezing characteristic curve model for frozen soil

The soil freezing characteristic curve(SFCC)plays a fundamental role in comprehending thermohydraulic behavior and numerical simulation of frozen soil.This study proposes a dynamic model to uniformly express SFCCs amidst varying total water contents throughout the freezing-thawing process.Firstly,a general model is proposed,wherein the unfrozen water content at arbitrary temperature is determined as the lesser of the current total water content and the reference value derived from saturated SFCC.The dynamic performance of this model is verified through test data.Subsequently,in accordance with electric double layer(EDL)theory,the theoretical residual and minimum temperatures in SFCC are calculated to be-14.5℃to-20℃for clay particles and-260℃,respectively.To ensure that the SFCC curve ends at minimum temperature,a correction function is introduced into the general model.Furthermore,a simplified dynamic model is proposed and investigated,necessitating only three parameters inherited from the general model.Additionally,both general and simplified models are evaluated based on a test database and proven to fit the test data exactly across the entire temperature range.Typical recommended parameter values for various types of soils are summarized.Overall,this study provides not only a theoretical basis for most empirical equations but also proposes a new and more general equation to describe the SFCC.

Soil Moisture Characteristics in Karst Area with Different Land Use Types

Ecological efficiency changes of soil moisture were researched in karst areas with different land type uses, including farmland, abandoned farmland （1 y） and shrub land （1 y）, sparse wood land （15 y）, secondary forest （25 y） and the re- sults showed that physical property of soil was not a simple ＂improvement＂ process during land type evolution. Specifically, from farmland to secondary forest, the con- tent of topsoils changed from being washed away to accumulation and soil bulk density changed from increasing to decreasing. For example, soil bulk densities of abandoned farmland and shrub land increased by 6.6% and 11.57% compared with farmland, and of sparse wood land and forest land decreased by 5.0% and 10.0%. The change trend of soil bulk density was just in contrary to total porosity. Available water capacity was the lowest of shrub land, but increased in rest land types. The increase tended to be volatile in 5.1%-12.5% of different land types and water-sta- ble aggregate content （〉0.25 mm） reached the highest of sparse wood land. The destruction rate, however, was declining in the process of land type evolution and the increase was in the range of 34.0%-64.7% compared with farmland. The de- struction rate of aggregate was of negative correlation with organic matter. Water- holding capacity was the best of forest land and abandoned farmland and the poor- est of shrub land, close to sparse wood land. Water-supplying capacity from high to low was as follows： farmland〉sparse wood land〉secondary forest〉shrub land〉a- bandoned farmland. It is obvious that water-holding capacity and water-supplying capacity are not consistent, but both are closely related to the content of soil clays, porosity, and aggregate stability.

Soil characteristics and ecological thresholds of Suaeda salsa wetlands

Suaeda salsa is an annual euhalophyte in estuarine wetlands.Soil properties of wetlands have an important influence on S.salsa growth.Therefore,the soil ecological thresholds is valuable for the restoration of degraded S.salsa wetlands.The objectives of this present study were to analyze the soil physicochemical properties and evaluate the soil ecological thresholds in the typical degraded areas for S.salsa growth.Soil text components became coarser with increased sand contents and less clay contents,as the higher degree of wetland degradation.Meanwhile,the salt contents in different soil depths gradually increased with the increased degree of degradation of wetlands.Evident changes in soil water content,organic matter content,and cations concentrations were not observed,while the concentrations of these factors were higher in the soil layer of 0-10 cm than those in the 20-30 cm.The soil pH in the 0-10 cm soil layer was lower than that in the 20-30 cm.The content of the three available nutrients did not change evidently with the increasing degree of degradation.The optimum thresholds of soil salinity and water content were 7.073-16.613 g/kg and 31.8-63.2%,respectively.

Effects of seven different companion plants on cucumber productivity, soil chemical characteristics and Pseudomonas community

Companion cropping can influence cucumber productivity by altering soil chemical characteristics and microbial communities. However, how these alterations affect the growth of cucumber is still unknown. In this study, seven different plant species were selected as companion plants for testing their effects on cucumber productivity. The effects of different companion plants on changes in soil chemical properties such as electrical conductivity （EC） and contents of essential nutrients as well as the structure and abundance of the soil Pseudomonas community were evaluated. The results showed a higher cucumber yield in the wheat/cucumber companion system than that in the cucumber monocultured and other companion cropping systems. The lowest phosphorus （P） and potassium （K） contents in the soil were found in the cucumber monocultured system, and the highest NO3＋-N and NH4＊-N contents were observed in the rye/cucumber companion system. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） and real-time PCR analysis showed that the trifolium/cucumber companion system increased the diversity of the soil Pseudomonas community, while the chrysanthemum/cucumber companion system increased its abundance. Interestingly, plant-soil feedback trials revealed that inoculating the soil of the wheat/cucumber companion system increased the growth of cucumber seedlings. In conclusion, the effects of different companion plants on cucumber productivity, soil chemical characteristics and the soil Pseudomonas community were different, and wheat was a more suitable companion plant for increasing cucumber productivity. In addition, the altered microbial community caused by companion cropping with wheat contributed to increased cucumber productivity.

Applicability of Fractal Models in Estimating Soil Water Retention Characteristics from Particle-Size Distribution Data

Soil water retention characteristics are the key information required in hydrological modeling. Frac-tal models provide a practical alternative for indirectly estimating soil water retention characteristics fromparticle-size distribution data. Predictive capabilities of three fractal models, i.e, Tyler-Wheatcraft model,Rieu-Sposito model, and Brooks-Corey model, were fully evaluated in this work using experimental datafrom an international database and literature. Particle-size distribution data were firstly interpolated into20 classes using a van Genuchten-type equation. Fractal dimensions of the tortuous pore wall and the poresurface were then calculated from the detailed particle-size distribution and incorporated as a parameter infractal water retention models. Comparisons between measured and model-estimated water retention cha-racteristics indicated that these three models were applicable to relatively different soil textures and pressurehead ranges. Tyler-Wheatcraft and Brooks-Corey models led to reasonable agreements for both coarse- andmedium-textured soils, while the latter showed applicability to a broader texture range. In contrast, Rieu-Sposito model was more suitable for fine-textured soils. Fractal models produced a better estimation of watercontents at low pressure heads than at high pressure heads.

Effect of Organic Manure Application on Physical Properties and Humus Characteristics of Paddy Soil

Long-term field experiment was established in 1978 on a coastal paddy soil to determine the effect of applicationof pig manure, rice straw and chemical N fertilizer on the physical property and humus characteristics of soil . Resultsshowed that the porosity, the microstructural coefficient, the reactivities of organic C and N, the ΔlogK value, thedegree of oxidation stability, the contents of O-alkyl C and alkyl C, and the ratio of aliphatic C to aromatic C ofhumic acid from soils received organic manure increased, whereas, the ratio of < 10 μm to >10 μm ofmicroaggregates, the humification degree of humus, the degree of organo-mineral complexation, the number-averagemolecular weight, the C/ H ratio. the contents of carboxyl and aromatic C of HAs in them decreased. These resultsindicated that the application of organic manure not only improved the physical property of the paddy soil but alsomade the HA more aliphatic in structure and younger in origin.

Effects of pesticides on soil biochemical characteristics of a paddy soil

The impact of triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone on soil biochemical characteristics in a paddy soil under controlled moisture(flooded soil) and temperature(25℃) condition was studied. The electron transport system(ETS)/dehydrogenase activity displayed a negative correlation with triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone concentrations, and the activity decreased as the concentration of the pesticides increased. The higher doses, 5 and 10 field rates, of triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone significantly inhibited ETS activity, while lower rates failed to produce any significant reducing effect against the control. The relative toxicity of triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone in decreasing the ETS activity was in the order: triazophos > chlobenthiazone > bensulfuron-methyl, irrespective of the rates of application. Triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone caused an improvement in the soil phenol content and it increased with increasing concentration of triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone. Triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone incorporation did not produce any significant change in soil protein content. The response of biomass phospholipid content was nearly similar to ETS activity. The phospholipid content was decreased with the addition of triazophos, bensulfuron-methyl, chlobenthiazone in the order of triazophos > chlobenthiazone > bensulfuron-methyl; and the toxicity of applied amount was in the order: 10 FR(field rate) > 5 FR > 1 0 FR > 0 5 FR > control.

Study on soil water characteristics of tobacco fields based on canonical correlation analysis

In order to identify the principal factors influencing soil water characteristics （SWC） and evaluate SWC effectively, the multivariate-statistical canonical correlation analysis （CCA） method was used to study and analyze the correlation between SWC and soil physical and chemical properties. Twenty-two soil samples were taken from 11 main tobacco-growing areas in Guizhou Province in China and the soil water characteristic curves （SWCC） and basic physical and chemical properties of the soil samples were determined. The results show that： （1） The soil bulk density, soil total porosity and soil capillary porosity have significant effects on SWC of tobacco fiels. Bulk density and total porosity are positively correlated with soil water retention characteristics （SWRC）, and soil capillary porosity is positively correlated with soil water supply characteristics （SWSC）. （2） Soil samples from different soil layers at the same soil sampling point show similarity or consistency in SWC. Inadequate soil water supply capability and imbalance between SWRC and SWSC are problems of tobacco soil. （3） The SWC of loamy clay are generally superior to those of silty clay loam.

Soil water characteristics in mountain poplar stand and its benefits to soil and water conservation in loess hilly region

The soil physical properties,its water characteristics and the benefits to soil and water conservation in mountain poplar stand were determined and studied. The results of the study show that the compaction in soil profile is relatively homogeneous.the specific gravity and volume weight of soil increase with deepening of soil horizon. The water infiltration rate of soil in the stand is 17,6 times as high as in rangeland.Owing to the intense absorption of water by root system of plants,a drying layer is formed in soil horizon from 2.3 m to 2.7m,showing that the subsoil moisture is in the state of deficit. The annual water storage capacity in 2 m of soil horizon is 360 mm 370mm,or 63% 65% of annual precipitation. Compared with farmland,mountain poplar stand reduces the surface runoff and soil loss by 70% and 99%,respectively,indicating the great benefits to soil and water conservation.

Characteristics and distributions of humic acids in two soil profiles of the southwest China Karst area

Characteristics and distributions of humic acid(HA) and soil organic matter(SOM) in a yellow soil profile and a limestone soil profile of the southwest China Karst area were systematically investigated to reveal their evolutions in different soils of the study area. The results showed that characteristics and distribution of SOM along the two soil profiles were notably different. Total organic carbon(TOC) contents of soil samples decreased just slightly along the limestone soil profile but sharply along the yellow soil profile. TOCs of the limestone soils were significantly higher than those of the corresponding yellow soils, and C/N ratios of SOMs showed a similar variation trend to that of TOCs, indicating that SOM can be better conserved in the limestone soil than in the yellow soil. The soil humic acids were exhaustively extracted and further fractionated according to their apparent molecular weights using ultrafiltration techniques to explore underlying conservation mechanisms. The result showed that C/N ratios of HAs from different limestone soil layers were relatively stable and that large molecular HA fractions predominated the bulk HA of the top soil, indicating that HA in the limestone profile was protected while bio and chemical degradations were retarded. Combined with organic elements contents and mineral contents of two soils, weconcluded that high calcium contents in limestone soils may play a key role in SOM conservation by forming complexation compounds with HAs or/and enclosing SOMs with hypergene CaCO_3 precipitation.

Rapid testing and prediction of soil–water characteristic curve of subgrade soils considering stress state and degree of compaction

The subgrade soil is generally in saturated or unsaturated condition. To analyze complex thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) behaviors of subgrade, it is essential to determine the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) that represents the relationship between matric suction and moisture content. In this study, a full-automatic rapid stress-dependent SWCC pressure-plate extractor was developed. Then, the influences of overburden stress and degree of compaction on the SWCC of subgrade soil such as high liquid limit silt (MH) and low liquid limit clay (CL) were analyzed. Accordingly, a new model taking into account the influences of overburden stress and degree of compaction based on the well-known Van Genuchten (VG) SWCC fitting model was presented and validated. The results show that with the increase of the degree of compaction and overburden stress, the saturated moisture content of subgrade soil decreases, while the air-entry value increases and the transition section curve becomes flat. The influences of the degree of compaction and overburden stress on the SWCC of MH is greater than that of CL. Meanwhile, there was a satisfactory agreement between the prediction and measurement, indicating a good performance of the new model for predicting the SWCC.

Variation of soil physical-chemical characteristics in salt-affected soil in the Qarhan Salt Lake,Qaidam Basin

Soil salinization has adverse effects on the soil physical-chemical characteristics.However,little is known about the changes in soil salt ion concentrations and other soil physical-chemical characteristics within the Qarhan Salt Lake and at different soil depths in the surrounding areas.Here,we selected five sampling sites(S1,S2,S3,S4,and S5)alongside the Qarhan Salt Lake and in the Xidatan segment of the Kunlun Mountains to investigate the relationship among soil salt ion concentrations,soil physical-chemical characteristics,and environmental variables in April 2019.The results indicated that most sites had strongly saline and very strongly saline conditions.The main salt ions present in the soil were Na^(+),K^(+),and Cl^(-).Soil nutrients and soil microbial biomass(SMB)were significantly affected by the salinity(P<0.05).Moreover,soil salt ions(Na^(+),K^(+),Ca2+,Mg^(2+),Cl^(-),CO_(3)^(2-),SO_(4)^(2-),and HCO_(3)^(-))were positively correlated with electrical conductivity(EC)and soil water content(SWC),but negatively related to altitude and soil depth.Unlike soil salt ions,soil nutrients and SMB were positively correlated with altitude,but negatively related to EC and SWC.Moreover,soil nutrients and SMB were negatively correlated with soil salt ions.In conclusion,soil nutrients and SMB were mainly influenced by salinity,and were related to altitude,soil depth,and SWC in the areas from the Qarhan Salt Lake to the Xidatan segment.These results imply that the soil quality(mainly evaluated by soil physical-chemical characteristics)is mainly influenced by soil salt ions in the areas surrounding the Qarhan Salt Lake.Our results provide an accurate prediction of how the soil salt ions,soil nutrients,and SMB respond to the changes along a salt gradient.The underlying mechanisms controlling the soil salt ion distribution,soil nutrients,and SMB in an extremely arid desert climate playa should be studied in greater detail in the future.

Effects of Direct Sowing under Mulch-Based Cropping System (DMC) on Cotton and Maize Yield and Chemical Characteristics of Ferruginous Soil (Lixisoil) in the South Sudan Area of Burkina Faso

To better understand the effects of direct sowing under mulch-based cropping system (DMC) in Burkina Faso’s cotton production systems, randomized blocks of Fisher experimental design were implemented at Farako-Ba research station from 2010 to 2019. The study was conducted on lixisoil to evaluate DMC effects on biomass production, crops yields and soil chemical properties in a maize and cotton rotation system associated with cover crop. Conventional tillage and direct seeding without cover crop were compared to DMC under B. ruziziensis (GERM. & EVRARD), DMC under B. ruziziensis + M. cochinchinensis mulch and DMC under C. juncea (L.) mulch used in association with maize. Biomass production, crop yields and soil chemistry were evaluated. Results showed that over 10 years, no-till with or without a cover crop provided cotton seed and maize yields that were statistically equivalent to the tillage commonly practiced by farmers. Cover crop has allowed increasing the biomass production compared to Conventional Tillage and Direct Seeding. Maize yield has not varied significantly with the cover crop. After 10 years of maize and cotton rotation, the improvement raised from +27% to +38% for organic matter and from +15% to +29% for nitrogen with DMC including legumes such as M. cochinchinensis and C. juncea compared to Conventional Tillage on 0 - 5 cm depth. No significant differences were found on soil pH like P2O5 and K2O content. Although DMC with C. juncea used as cover crop did not provide the best biomass production, it contributes to increase nitrogen and organic matter and presents better mineral balances in 10 years of rotation. The 5 - 10 cm and 10 - 20 cm were little influenced by DMC systems.

The Impact of Soil Moisture on Dispersion-Related Characteristics

This study investigates the impact of soil moisture availability on dispersion-related characteristics: surface friction velocity (u* ), characteristic scales of temperature and humidity (T * and q * ), the planetary boundary layer height (h) and atmospheric stability classified by Monin-Obukhov length (L), Kazanski-Monin parameter (μ) and convective velocity scale (w* ) during daytime convective condition using a one-dimensional primitive equation with a refined soil model.

Hyper-spectral characteristics and classification of farmland soil in northeast of China

The physical and chemical heterogeneities of soils make the soil spectral different and complicated, and it is valuable to increase the accuracy of prediction models for soil organic matter（SOM） based on pre-classification. This experiment was conducted under a controllable environment, and different soil samples from northeast of China were measured using ASD2500 hyperspectral instrument. The results showed that there are different reflectances in different soil types. There are statistically significant correlation between SOM and reflectence at 0.05 and 0.01 levels in 550–850 nm, and all soil types get significant at 0.01 level in 650–750 nm. The results indicated that soil types of the northeast can be divided into three categories： The first category shows relatively flat and low reflectance in the entire band; the second shows that the spectral reflectance curve raises fastest in 460–610 nm band, the sharp increase in the slope, but uneven slope changes; the third category slowly uplifts in the visible band, and its slope in the visible band is obviously higher than the first category. Except for the classification by curve shapes of reflectance, principal component analysis is one more effective method to classify soil types. The first principal component includes 62.13–97.19% of spectral information and it mainly relates to the information in 560–600, 630–690 and 690–760 nm. The second mainly represents spectral information in 1 640–1 740, 2 050–2 120 and 2 200–2 300 nm. The samples with high OM are often in the left, and the others with low OM are in the right of the scatter plot（the first principal component is the horizontal axis and the second is the longitudinal axis）. Soil types in northeast of China can be classified effectively by those two principles; it is also a valuable reference to other soil in other areas.

Studies on the effects of bio-organic fertilizer on the physical and chemical characteristics of soil and the yield of cassava＊

Bio-organic fertilizer is a new type of fertilizer which have advantages of both organic manure and fertilizer. This study investigated the effects of bio-organic fertilizer on the growth and yield of cassava and the soil fertility. The study was carried out in the period of 2004-2005 and the material was cassava cultivar FUXUAN01. The bio-organic fertilizers were applied as basic fertilizers on four different levels of 450 kg/hm^2, 600 kg/hm^2, 750 kg/hm^2, 900 kg/hm^2 in this experiment. The growth of stem and leaf, the yield of earthnut and the starch content of tuber root of cassava and the unit weight, the hole percent, the content of organic matters, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, microbes, the activity of soil urease and invertase were analyzed during the experiment. The results showed that not only can the bio-organic fertilizer promote the growth of cassava stems and leaves, increase the chlorophyll content and the photosynthesis of leaves, improve the physiological metabolism of cassava, and strengthen physiological function of anti-senility, promote the transformation from photosynthetic organism to tuber root and increase the yield and starch content in the tuber root of cassava, but also decrease the soil unit weight, increase the hole percent of soil, promote microbe activity in the soil, increase the activity of soil urease and invertase, promote the availability of nutrients, increase the content of organic matters, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and increase the utilization rate of fertilizer. It was an effective way to apply the bio-organic fertilizer to increase the yield and starch content in the tuber root of cassava, improving the physical and chemical characters of soil and increasing the soil fertility.